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Momentum The Key For Warriors And Eagles

Warriors FC vs Geylang International

(Friday, 10 March, 7.30pm, Choa Chu Kang Stadium)

Written by: Shawn Lim

After registering their first win of the 2017 Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League season last week, Geylang International will be keen to build on the momentum when they face Warriors FC at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Friday night.

The Eagles bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to Hougang United in their season opener to convincingly beat Balestier Khalsa by the same scoreline last Saturday, with Al-Qaasimy Rahman finding the net for the first time in his S.League career.

Buoyed by this milestone, Al-Qaasimy is confident that the win against the Toa Payoh-based side will kickstart Geylang’s season as long as they continue to work hard in training.

“The win was vital for us because it gives us confidence and serves as a morale booster to go on and bring the winning spirit to every game we play,” said the 25-year-old.

“We have started the season okay so far, but it would have been sweeter if we were to get two out of two wins.

“Coming into our third game of the season, we would definitely like to grab all three points as much as possible.

“In order to do that, we have to convert all our chances in front of goal. The coaches already have our training sessions planned out accordingly, all we have to do is to deliver them on the pitch.”

Similarly, Warriors will come into the match on the back of a victory and look the stronger side on paper with the likes of Firdaus Kasman, Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak and Jordan Webb turning out for the nine-time league champions.

However, Al-Qaasimy is confident that Eagles can match their opponents because of their fighting spirit and hunger to win.

“We are aware of the vast experience in the Warriors squad. But to be fair, we do have good depth in our squad too and in football, anything can happen,” explained the defender.

“It all boils down to who wants it more, which team is hungrier for the win. Whoever is called upon to play, will follow the game plan from coaches Hasrin Jailani and Noor Ali and we will play to the best of our abilities.”

Meanwhile, momentum is also the word of the day over in the Warriors camp as left-back Ho Wai Loon believes that spirits are high after opening the season with a 2-1 win over Balestier Khalsa.

“You could see how excited we were after we got our first three points in the bag. The morale of the team is good and what will keep the momentum going is to take the positives from the last game and learn from the mistakes,” said Ho.

Sidelined due to injuries for a large part of last season while playing for Balestier, Ho admitted it was a bittersweet moment when Warriors defeated the Tigers in a game which he lasted the full 90 minutes.

“It definitely felt good to be back in action again after so long because I had some niggling and recurring injuries last year,” the 23-year-old shared.

“To be honest, it was a weird feeling to be back at Toa Payoh Stadium with a different team and in a different colour, but the (Tigers) fans were great to me.”

Ho now finds himself lining up alongside seasoned campaigners in Kento Fukuda, Hafiz Osman and Baihakki. Like like any young player, he initially felt the pressure but slowly grew in confidence.

“They are very composed with the ball and are very vocal which helps our team a lot. Honestly I felt some pressure when paired with them for the very first time,” explained Ho, who models his game after Hector Bellerin of Arsenal.

“I was scared to make mistakes, but as time went by they guided me along well and told me to be confident with myself.

“With them at the back and other experienced players guiding me along, I am constantly learning new things and making improvements to my game.”